Editing Olympic National Park (section)

===Coastline===
The coastal portion of the park is a rugged, sandy beach along with a strip of adjacent forest. It is {{convert|60|mi}} long but just a few miles wide, with native communities at the mouths of two rivers. The [[Hoh River]] has the [[Hoh]] people and at the town of [[La Push]] at the mouth of the [[Quileute River]] live the [[Quileute (tribe)|Quileute]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Coast |url=http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/coast.htm |access-date=August 23, 2009 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

[[File:A058, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, tidepools, 2002.jpg|thumb|left|[[Tide pool]]s form at low tide]]
The beach has unbroken stretches of wilderness ranging from {{convert|10|to|20|mi}}. While some beaches are primarily sand, others are covered with heavy rock and very large boulders. Bushy overgrowth, slippery footing, tides, and misty rainforest weather all hinder foot travel. The coastal strip is more readily accessible than the interior of the Olympics; due to the difficult terrain, very few backpackers venture beyond casual day-hiking distances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2021 |title=The best hikes in Olympic National Park offer sea stacks, waterfalls and ancient petroglyphs |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-hikes-olympic-national-park |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=[[Lonely Planet]] |language=en}}</ref>

The most popular piece of the coastal strip is the {{convert|9|mi|adj=on}} Ozette Loop. The Park Service runs a registration and reservation program to control the usage levels of this area. From the trailhead at [[Ozette Lake]], a {{convert|3|mi|adj=on}} leg of the trail is a boardwalk-enhanced path through near primal coastal [[western redcedar|cedar]] swamp. Arriving at the ocean, it is a 3-mile walk supplemented by headland trails for high tides. This area has traditionally been favored by the [[Makah people|Makah]] from [[Neah Bay]]. The third 3-mile leg is enabled by a boardwalk which has enhanced the loop's accessibility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Ozette Loop |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/ozette-loop.htm |access-date=January 11, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Lake Ozette Area Brochure |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/lake-ozette-area-brochure.htm |access-date=January 11, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

There are thick groves of trees adjacent to the sand, which results in chunks of timber from fallen trees on the beach. The mostly unaltered Hoh River, toward the south end of the park, discharges large amounts of naturally eroded timber and other drift, which moves north, enriching the beaches. Even today driftwood deposits form a commanding presence, biologically as well as visually, giving a taste of the original condition of the beach viewable to some extent in early photos. Drift material often comes from a considerable distance; the [[Columbia River]] formerly contributed huge amounts to the Northwest Pacific coasts.

The smaller coastal portion of the park is separated from the larger, inland portion. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] originally had supported connecting them with a continuous strip of parkland.

[[File:Olympic-NP-TF.jpg|thumb|A 3D computer-generated aerial view]]
The park is known for its unique [[turbidites]]. It has very exposed turbidities with white calcite veins. Turbidites are rocks or sediments that travel into the ocean as suspended particles in the flow of water, causing a sedimentary layering effect on the ocean floor. Over time the sediments and rock compact and the process repeats as a constant cycle. The park also is known for its tectonic [[mélange]]s that have been deemed 'smell rocks' by the locals due to their strong petroleum odor. Mélanges are large individual rocks that are large enough that they are accounted for in map drawings. The Olympic mélanges can be as large as a house.